Cases

Valley Equine Dentistry Cases

The vast majority of advanced cases we see in our practice are the direct result of inadequate dental care. Dental pain in the horse due to sharp enamel points or imbalances develops slowly over time. Most horses will eat through the pain until it is intolerable. When dental issues get to this point there is usually a serious issue involved.

Many of these cases involve responsible owners who have routinely had their horse's mouth floated. These cases usually are the result of the owner using unlicensed, unqualified or inexperienced individuals to float their horses teeth. Most of the issues we see in such horses could of been avoided if they were floated properly. When using Valley Equine Dentistry, your horse will always be attended to by a veterinarian with the proper equipment and training to address all of your horse's dental needs.

Valley Equine Dentistry: Real Life Cases

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Stanley

“Stanley”, 20 year old Arabian gelding. Owner reports an increasingly bulbous appearance to gum tissue above incisors. Horse reportedly is very resistant to bit being placed into mouth and reacts violently when bit is being removed.

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Annie

“Annie”- 9 year old Quarter Horse Mare. Owner reports mare has been eating a little slower than usual and occasionally will spit out hay balls. Owner also reports increasing resistance to bit and an occasional violent reaction when nose band is tightened.

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Chuck

“Chuck”, 20 year old Thoroughbred gelding. Owner reports, horse has been progressively taking longer to finish hay. Owner also reports seeing chewed up balls of hay on stall floor. Horse experienced an episode of choke one week ago.

History- “Stanley”, 20 year old Arabian gelding. Owner reports an increasingly bulbous appearance to gum tissue above incisors. Horse reportedly is very resistant to bit being placed into mouth and reacts violently when bit is being removed. Owner also reports horse is having difficulty biting through treats like carrots.

Diagnosis- Based on examinations and radiographs, Stanley is suﬀering from Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EORTH). EORTH is a disease process affecting the incisor and canine teeth of the horse. This disease most commonly aﬀects horses that are 15 yrs of age or older. The etiology of this disease is unknown at this time, but the eﬀects are quite dramatic.

The progression of EORTH is marked by severe tooth root resorption. The body basically degrades the tooth root and supporting structures of the tooth. This results in the affected teeth becoming loose. In an attempt to stabilize itself, the tooth responds by producing large amounts of cementum. This overproduction of cementum can give the gum tissue a bulbous appearance (see ﬁg. 1). The instability of the teeth will result in a severe inflammatory response and underlying infection. When the disease has progressed to this point, your horse will be experiencing severe pain.

Treatment- Extraction of affected teeth is the best treatment for EORTH we have at this time. The number of teeth extracted is dependent on how advanced the disease process is. The sooner your horse is diagnosed and the diseased teeth are extracted the better the outcome. If the diseased teeth are not extracted the disease will advance.

Stanley had a very advanced case of EORTH. All of his upper incisors had to be extracted. Owner reported an immediate change in attitude for the better. Within two weeks he was excepting bit and grazing well.

Early diagnosis and treatment of EORTH is the best way to avoid it’s devastating effects. Like Stanley’s case, early signs that owners report, include their horse not wanting to grasp treats, resistance to having the bit placed in their mouth, and that their horse is not grazing well.

Initial exam will focus on the gingiva around the teeth. Inﬂamed tissue, pustules, and feed packing are signs the disease is present. If palpation of the suspected teeth reveal looseness and a signiﬁcant pain response radiographs should be taken. If EORTH is present x-rays will show the resorptive lesions and/ or hypercementosis (see. Fig. 2).

Annie

Diagnosis- Examination revealed severe sharp enamel points resulting in extreme oral

ulcerations. These sharp points resulted in severe oral pain when eating. These points also created an extremely dangerous situation for the owner when riding. I have seen horses bolt or throw riders in an attempt to get away from this sort of pain.

Treatment- This horse was in need of routine ﬂoat and equillibration. I recommend no bit be placed in horses mouth for a few days to allow pain of ulcers to subside. Once mouth was balanced and all sharp points reduced this horse was back to work and eating without any issues.

The sharp enamel points that caused the painful oral ulcerations, did not develop in three months. This case highlights the need to use a Veterinarian with experience and training in equine dentistry to ﬂoat your horses mouth.

Chuck

History- “Chuck”, 20 year old Thoroughbred gelding. Owner reports, horse has been progressively taking longer to ﬁnish hay. Owner also reports seeing chewed up balls of hay on stall ﬂoor. Horse experienced an episode of choke one week ago. Horse is on an annual ﬂoat schedule.

Diagnosis- Examination revealed severe caudal hooks of the last upper molars. Considering that the equine tooth erupts at a rate of 2-3 millimeters per year, these hooks represent many years worth of overgrowth. These hooks were causing severe pain and lacerations of the oral tissues. This pain was the cause of discomfort and abnormal chewing owner reported.

Treatment- Thorough ﬂoat and reduction of caudal hooks was performed. Caudal hooks were reduced slowly two times over a 6 month interval with irrigation. Using irrigation to cool the tooth during reduction is the safest way to do this procedure. Without irrigation you run the risk of thermally damaging the tooth. After ﬂoat and ﬁrst reduction horse was reported to be eating normally.

Chucks owner was very upset about the condition of his mouth. Not only was Chuck in pain for many years, he was also at high risk for choke and impaction colic. She is a very contentious owner, who had routine ﬂoats performed annually. She could not believe she was not aware of these issues sooner. I explained to her that in most cases the pain comes on slowly and the horses eat through the pain. Most owners do not know there are issues until the pain becomes so unbearable the horse starts eating oddly or stops eating altogether. In my experience, a horse that is eating well does not give any insight into their dental health. Conversely, a horse that is showing signs of dental pain is usually in urgent need of dental work.

Cases like this are all too common. It highlights the need for horse owners to use veterinarians with the proper training and equipment to asses and treat their horses dental needs.

Email us at info@valleyequinedentistry.com